"It had been a year since my death and a lot had changed on Wisteria Lane. Children had learned new games. New neighbors had moved in. Old houses had been rebuilt. And fresh tragedies had occurred..." - Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young
Desperate Housewives: The Complete Second Season DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
Well, it had to happen. When Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC in Fall 2004, the massive publicity surrounding the show was topped only by its massive ratings. No one, it seemed, could get enough of the comedy/drama/soap opera about a group of women and their families living on Wisteria Lane, a suburban street where an extremely idyllic surface masked an extraordinarily troubled core. Expectations were high when the series returned for its sophomore season. Viewers continued to flock to Wisteria Lane - the series' already blockbuster ratings grew even larger - but many fans and critics groused that Housewives' second season just wasn't as good as its first. With the DVD release of Desperate Housewives: The Complete Second Season, fans can give the much-maligned season another chance. They might be surprised to find out that even though the season is definitely flawed, it actually plays better on second viewing.
Goofy divorcee Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) is happily in love with plumber Mike Delfino (James Denton), but their relationship faces several roadblocks, including Mike's sociopath son Zach (Cody Kasch), Susan's scheming ex-husband Karl (Richard Burgi), and her "wandering spleen." Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) struggles with reentering the workforce while her husband Tom (Doug Savant) becomes a stay-at-home dad to their four willful children. Perfectionist Bree van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) learns that life isn't always perfect when her husband dies, she starts dating a wacko, and her gay son takes teenage rebellion to new heights. Reluctantly pregnant Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) finally becomes excited about her impending motherhood. Sexpot Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) moves into her rebuilt home (Susan accidentally burned it down in season one) and begins dating Karl. Wisteria Lane also boasts a mysterious new family - the Applewhites. Betty (Alfre Woodard) is a concert pianist. Matthew (Mehcad Brooks) is her teenaged son. They seem normal enough, but why did they buy their home sight unseen and move into it in the middle of the night? And what are those strange screams coming from the basement? These neighbors are watched over by narrator Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), whose suicide sparked a mystery in season one.
As with season one, the series continues to present an irresistible blend of romance, heart-wrenching drama, shocking violence, and wacky physical humor. The death of Rex van de Camp (Steven Culp), for example, is leavened by the arrival of Shirley Knight as his mother Phyllis. She makes her entrance on Wisteria Lane screaming and crying in grief, her head sticking out of the window of her cab like a golden retriever out for a drive. Harriet Sansom Harris continues to provide both laughter and chills - often simultaneously - as Felicia Tilman, a nutty nurse who is out to avenge the murder of her sister, Martha Huber.
Individual moments shine, but taken as a whole, the show's writers seem to have lost their way in season two. The central mystery this time around - the story of the Applewhites - starts out intriguingly enough and ends with a bang, but nothing much happens in between. Much of the storyline coasts on the considerable acting talents of Alfre Woodard, who almost manages to convince us that something is going to happen soon. The main characters are a bit too separate this time around, with their storylines rarely intersecting.
Several plotlines are maddeningly pointless. Gaby's episodes-long feud with Sister Mary Bernard (Melinda Page Hamilton), a nun Carlos befriended in jail, seems to exist simply for the Dynasty-esque tussle on a church altar. After this fight, Sister Mary isn't even mentioned again. Susan is stuck with the largest number of aimless storylines. Her quest for her biological father is notable only because it gives the always welcome Paul Dooley a guest shot on a hit show. Her dalliance with Karl seems awfully out-of-character and reeks of "try anything" story telling.
And yet the series still manages to entertain and engage. Need proof? Look no further than Lynette. In season two, she frees a rat in her home to spur Tom into becoming a better househusband, "kills" her son's imaginary friend after becoming jealous of her, hires a "stranger" to tempt her kids into a car with candy, pressures her husband to get a vasectomy, and weans a co-worker's five-year-old by plying him with chocolate milk. Some of her behavior is downright despicable, but we still love and respect the character. The scene where she confronts Bree about her drinking problems - one of the few scenes where the main characters actually connect - is breathtakingly good. And the scene where she confronts Tom's ex-fling in a crowded diner? Priceless.
The twenty-four episodes that make up The Complete Second Season are divided onto five discs. A sixth disc contains all of the bonus features. Each disc is adorned with portraits of the series' characters - Lynette on disc one, Susan on disc two, Bree on disc three, Edie on disc four, Gaby on disc five, and Betty Applewhite on disc six. The discs are housed in a foldout case decorated with publicity photos and production stills. The six discs attach to three panels - each of the panels hold two discs one on top of the other in a figure eight pattern. It is slightly inconvenient to remove one DVD in order to get to another, but on the plus side, the packaging takes up far less shelf space than if each disc was housed on a separate panel. Another panel of the foldout case includes a folder which contains an episode guide. Also included in the folder is a variety of ads - some relevant (Desperate Housewives perfume, calendars, and games) and not-so-relevant (teeth whitener and laundry detergent). The front panel of the case is filled with a sea of apples. The case slides into a clear plastic sleeve, and these apples serve as a backdrop for the apple-munching housewives.
As with season one, the full motion DVD menus are a variation on the series' opening credits. Unfortunately, they are too lengthy. You might be able to avoid this intro by pressing the skip button on your remote. Viewers can play all episodes or choose an individual one. There are no scene selection menus, but the episodes include a generous number chapter stops, allowing viewers to skip episode recaps and opening credits.
